Name: Amir Herring Height: 6’3″ Weight: 305 lbs. High school: West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield Position: Offensive guard Class: Freshman Jersey number: #56 Last year: Herring was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 85 pancake blocks. TTB Rating: 73
Herring was a long-time Michigan lean who at one point seemed unlikely to end up in Michigan’s class. How is that possible? Well, it seemed at times like Michigan was not pursuing Herring heavily, even though he was offered on July 1, 2020 (today’s the three-year anniversary!). Pegged as a tackle early in his recruitment, his lack of height eventually led to him being ranked as an interior lineman. Word on the street was that Michigan wasn’t really sold on taking him unless he was open to playing center, but once that was ironed out, he became a take.
Herring enrolled early back in January and participated in the spring game, where he started for one squad at right guard. He performed well, and he has a college-ready build at 6’3″ and 305 lbs. Whether he can hold up at guard or will eventually have to slide over to center once a spot opens remains to be seen: Drake Nugent, Greg Crippen, and Raheem Anderson are all older with the ability to play center. For now Herring might be the most college ready offensive lineman in the class, but with the depth on the line, he may still be buried. My guess is that he plays in a few early-season games, but not enough to burn his redshirt.
West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield signee Amir Herring is ranked as a 4-star, the #14 interior offensive lineman, and #286 overall in the 247 Composite rankings. Here are his senior highlights:
REASON FOR THE GRADE: Despite losing just two players to the NFL, the starting offensive line appeared to be in pretty good shape going into 2023. Of course, having a good offensive line is typically predicated on experience, so we have to look at what players are behind them and how ready they will be in 2024 and beyond. Michigan’s numbers were solid enough that they didn’t have to snag too many linemen in the class of 2023 to maintain a healthy overall number at the position (~15), but they hit it out of the park in the transfer portal, if not the high school ranks.
Starting with the transfer portal guys, Michigan landed Arizona State offensive guard/tackle LaDarius Henderson, Stanford center Drake Nugent, and Stanford right tackle Myles Hinton. All three are starters, and in particular, Henderson was a captain and Nugent was a Rimington Award finalist. While offensive guards Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter return, Henderson could end up playing left or right tackle, depending on who steps up at those positions. Nugent should slot in as the starting center, and Hinton will probably be in a battle to start at one of the tackle spots, as injuries and inconsistency have hampered him a little bit so far. However, Hinton was a top-100 prospect and has great potential if he can put everything together.
Link improved as a senior to the point where I think he can be a solid player at the next level, especially in the run game; he has limited pass pro reps on his senior highlights, but there’s potential if he can stay consistent with his technique. Efobi still plays too high for my liking, and he doesn’t really win enough blocks even on his highlights. Meanwhile, interior lineman Herring could play guard or center – some think center is his best spot because of a lack of height – and is the type of kid who should be a good locker room presence while he waits for his opportunity for a few years, and he could step in as an upperclassman and start for a couple years.
Overall, Michigan did a good job of not only plugging a hole at center, but creating immediate competition at the tackle positions. Link, Herring, and Efobi are all guys with potential down the road, though I don’t think any of them are headed for stardom in college. If the Wolverines can maintain their solid offensive line play and use the transfer portal to their advantage on a yearly basis, this could be a recipe for great annual success even if the high school recruiting is so-so.
The 2024 Under Armour All-American Game will be played in January of 2024. The following participants have committed to or signed a Letter of Intent to play for Michigan:
2023
Karmello English, WR – Phenix City, AL
Amir Herring, C – West Bloomfield, MI
2022 Will Johnson, CB – Grosse Pointe, MI
Derrick Moore, DE – Baltimore, MD Keon Sabb, S – Bradenton, FL
Amorion Walker, WR – Ponchatoula, LA
2021
Giovanni El-Hadi, OT – Sterling Heights, MI
Jaydon Hood, LB – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
2020
Blake Corum, RB – Baltimore, MD
Micah Mazzccua, OT – Baltimore, MD
Braiden McGregor, DE – Port Huron, MI#
Andre Seldon, Jr., CB – Belleville, MI
2019
Zach Charbonnet, RB – Thousand Oaks, CA
Quinten Johnson, S – Washington, DC
Trente Jones, OT – Loganville, GA
Nolan Rumler, OG – Akron, OH
Mazi Smith, DT – East Kentwood, MI
Anthony Solomon, LB – Fort Lauderdale, FL
2018
Mustapha Muhammad, TE – Missouri City, TX
Myles Sims, CB – Atlanta, GA
2017
Jaylen Kelly-Powell, S – Detroit, MI
Kwity Paye, DE – Warwick, RI
Cesar Ruiz, C – Bradenton, FL
Luiji Vilain, DE – Alexandria, VA
A.J. Barner – TE – Indiana: Barner is a 6’6″, 250 lb. starting tight end and captain from the Hoosiers. After spending three seasons in Bloomington, he has two seasons of eligibility left. This season he caught 28 passes for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns. Barner was a 3-star, the #51 tight end, and #1147 overall in the class of 2020. With Michigan losing Erick All (Iowa), Luke Schoonmaker (NFL), Louis Hansen (transfer), Carter Selzer (graduation), and Joel Honigford (graduation), they need some reinforcements at the tight end position.
Josaiah Stewart – OLB – Coastal Carolina: Stewart is a 6’2″, 230 lb. outside linebacker whom Michigan offered when he came out of high school in 2021. He went to Coastal Carolina and had an outstanding freshman season followed up by a pretty solid sophomore year. Now that he’s in the transfer portal, he has two years of eligibility remaining and appears to be choosing between Michigan and USC.
